//------------------------------// // A Message // Story: Twilight vs Tirek // by RainbowSparkle3 //------------------------------// Everything that had once been here was gone. Every tree had been flattened and incinerated, the only traces left being the vague scent of burnt wood aimlessly drifting about. The vast landscape was utterly annihilated. Leftover flames from the mighty magical battle flickered and lit up the otherwise dark and gloomy battlefield. The magic-stealing titan, Lord Tirek towered over me. He roared as he raised his huge fists high above his head, anger and glee distorting his features. I could only watch fearfully while Tirek prepared to finish me off. I couldn't even stand upright anymore. With one eye open, I panted and coughed weakly as I racked my brain for a plan of some sort, anything! Before I could think of something though, Tirek’s fists were flying at me like rockets. All rational thought left me, and I just screamed while desperately pushing any small amount of magic I still had into one last teleportation spell, but to no avail. I was just too tired. I closed my eyes, resigning myself to the inevitable. At that very moment, a burst of blue light prompted me to open my eyes. It was Starlight, who had been watching from the sidelines this entire time. Of course! How could I have forgotten! I sighed in relief. "Starlight! Thank goodness you came-," but I was interrupted by Starlight shoving her hoof in my mouth. "No time!" She hastily shouted. Her horn fizzled with magic while I glanced up and was quickly reminded that I was still under attack. Tirek’s fists were coming down rapidly, and were only about 200 feet away from hitting its target: Me. I turned to look at Starlight and added the little magic I had left to hers. My purple magic mixed and swirled with Starlight’s pink magic, speeding up the spell. It was almost done, but Tirek's attack was so close! I didn't know who would make it first. "Hurry!" I desperately cried. Tirek's fists were already engulfing Starlight and me in their shadow. Our purple and pink magic quickly crackled and whirled together, seemingly just as frantic as we were. Tirek was only inches away. He could've crushed us! BAM!!! Tirek's massive fists buried themselves deep into the ground, and he sneered with satisfaction. He lifted his fists, an avalanche of dirt and rocks sliding off to reveal… nothing. "WHAT!?" Tirek roared. "Where did they go this time!?” He furiously pounded the ground in frustration, shouting, “GRAAAHH!!!" Meanwhile, Starlight and I materialized in a very familiar location, the Canterlot Castle. I breathed a sigh of relief, that was far too close for comfort. I then took a look around. I could see traces of Tirek being here. There were massive hoof prints everywhere. Stained glass windows were cracked all over the room, while the one that depicted me was melted beyond recognition. I flinched at the gruesome sight. The room was still in much better condition than I'd have expected though. After glancing around, I slowly turned to Starlight and strugglingly asked, "W-why did you bring us here?" Starlight still needed a minute to calm down. The narrow escape left her panting for a few moments before she could answer. "I figured that Tirek wouldn't think to look for us here, and I was in a bit of a hurry, so I couldn't really give it much thought." Satisfied with this answer, I caught my breath while shaking my head to clear my mind. The fight against Tirek had left me in shambles. My mane was a mess, covering my vision and clinging to my neck, drenched in sweat. My legs were shaking, and just standing upright was a challenge. I needed a break, desperately. I turned to Starlight, words barely crawling out of my mouth. “After that ordeal, I’m sure you're as tired…(cough) and hungry as I am. Let’s grab a bite to eat...and then plan a way to beat Tirek. Cause we’re not doing anything in our state.” “Agreed,” Starlight tiredly replied. While making our way to the dining hall, I couldn’t help but notice that…there was nothing to notice. No guards, no politicians, nothing. All the life and business I had come to associate with this castle over the years was gone, replaced by deafening silence. After a few more eerily quiet minutes, we reached our destination and had a light meal. Once we were finished eating dinner, we traded ideas for a while, but none seemed reliable or very realistic. Eventually, Starlight headed outside to practice her magic, while I headed into the library, scouring the many, many books for anything that would help me against Tirek. I sighed as I slammed shut yet another book that gave no answers to my problem. I was beginning to lose hope, as several hours of research had yielded no results whatsoever. For once, the answers I needed didn’t seem to be written in ink. Just then, something in the corner of my eye caught my attention. It was a brown and gold book with a symbol of the sun emblazoned on the front. And it was glowing and vibrating, to my great confusion. "Huh?" I wondered aloud. I trotted over to the mysterious book with caution. Then I lifted it up from its resting place at the top of a stack of miscellaneous books. I slowly opened the book, and what was written there was shocking. "This...is a message to Princess Celestia from my friends at Canterlot High!" I continued reading, then once I got to the end, I looked up and exclaimed, "It sounds like they need my help!"